Mycelium
Running

Paul Stamets’ Mycelium
Running is a must have
reference book for anyone working the land in
any form, whether it be a farmer, forest
manager or an environmental cleanup person.
But also for people like me, who like to grow
things, especially exotic and delicious
edibles.

Mycelium Running
is a treasure trove of useful practical
information on what Stamets refers to as
mycofiltration (of water), mycoremediation (of
toxic waste) and tips on how mushroom mycelium
can help improve soils and boost productivity
in farming and forestry with less use of
pesticides and fertilizers.

As an example, a method for building a
mycofiltration bed to filter waste water is described in
exacting detail. Dimensions, depth, layers and recommended
materials and mushrooms are listed. This mycofiltration is
especially useful for filtering manure enriched farm
runoff water.

And not only does it solve the problem
of farm runoff and E. coli contamination of
nearby streams, it can also yield highly palatable food
mushrooms, and the bed itself can be dug out every 2-3
years and used as an excellent fertilizer for the farm.

The benefits of no-till farming are
also described in Mycelium Running in
terms of how it benefits saprophytic soil fungi, which in
turn help protect the soil from erosion as well as break
down organic matter at a rate that is better paced to
benefit plant life than if the stubble were to be plowed
under and broken down by anaerobic bacteria.

Forest management can benefit greatly
from using methods that promote saprophytic fungi, which
help break down organic matter, as well as mycorrhizal
fungi, which live in a symbiotic relationship with many
trees and plants.

There are 8,000 known species of
decomposing mushrooms, known as saprophytic fungi. The
most common and best known may be Turkey Tail (Trametes
versicolor, a.k.a. Coriolus versicolor).
Not only do saprophytic fungi help break down and recycle
organic matter. They also help combat many parasitic fungi
(blights) that may potentially kill large numbers of
trees. Stamets gives useful suggestions on how to seed
beneficial saprophytic fungi in blight infested forests as
a natural “fungicide,” fighting fire with fire, so to
speak.

Mycorrhizal fungi likewise can be
seeded to support tree growth, or these beneficial fungi
may simply be encouraged to grow naturally through smarter
and more enlightened forested management. Most plants
benefit from partnerships with mycorrhizal fungi,
especially trees, which become much more drought resistant
as well as disease resistant when they partner with a
mycorrhizal mushroom species.

Mycoremediation, a term invented by
Paul Stamets, is a method described in Mycelium
Running whereby toxic waste may be
neutralized. In cases of petrochemicals and synthetic
toxic materials, they may be effectively broken down by
fungi into harmless compounds. Bacterial contaminants can
be killed by anti-bacterial compounds excreted by the
fungi. And toxic levels of heavy metals may be absorbed
and organically bound, thereby being neutralized and
rendered harmless.

And all that is just in the first half
of the 300 page Mycelium Running. The
second half is an instruction manual on growing your own
mushrooms, which is something that may be of interest to
forest managers for mycoforestry, environmentalists for
mycoremediation, farmers for increasing soil productivity,
and the rest of us for growing our own gourmet mushrooms
for food and medicine. In other words, this is a book for
anyone and everyone.